Two Prisoners Executed in Central Prison of Karaj

HRANA News Agency – At dawn on Tuesday, May 27, two prisoners previously sentenced to death on drug-related charges were executed in  Central Prison of Karaj.

HRANA has confirmed the identity of one of the executed individuals as Rahim Amiri, a resident of Harsin. The second prisoner, whose identity has not yet been established, was reportedly from Nurabad in Lorestan Province.

On Sunday, May 25, both prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for the execution.

According to information received by HRANA, the two individuals had previously been arrested on drug-related charges and were subsequently sentenced to death by Revolutionary Courts.

Further details, including the identity of the second prisoner, are still under investigation by HRANA.

As of the time of this report, the executions have not been officially announced by prison authorities or relevant state bodies.

Prisoner Executed in Central Prison of Karaj

HRANA News Agency – At dawn on Sunday, May 18, the execution of a prisoner previously sentenced to death on a murder charge was carried out at Central Prison of Karaj.

HRANA has identified the prisoner as Armin Bahrami. According to information obtained by HRANA, Mr. Bahrami had been previously arrested on a murder charge and was later sentenced to death by the judiciary.

As of the time of this report, the execution has not been officially announced by prison authorities or responsible institutions.

In 2024, a total of 191 inmates were executed in Alborz province alone — equivalent to 7 executions per 100,000 people in this small province.

Azhdar Piri Imprisoned to Begin Serving One-Year Sentence

HRANA News Agency – On Sunday, May 4, Azhdar Piri Sarmanlou, editor-in-chief of the Research of Nations monthly magazine, was arrested after reporting to the Sentence Enforcement Branch of Karaj Prosecutor’s Office and transferred to the Central Prison of Karaj to serve a one-year prison sentence.

According to this report, on Sunday, May 4, 2025, Mr. Piri Sarmanlou was arrested upon reporting to the Sentence Enforcement Branch of the Karaj Prosecutor’s Office and was then transferred to Karaj Central Penitentiary to begin serving his one-year sentence.

In January 2025, Branch 3 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced Azhdar Piri to one year in prison on charges of propaganda against the regime and insulting officials and agents. As additional punishment, he was also sentenced to a two-year ban from social media membership and activity.

Mr. Piri was originally arrested on October 21, 2024, by Ministry of Intelligence agents at his home in Karaj and taken to one of the city’s security detention centers.

During his detention, he was denied access to legal counsel. After 21 days of interrogation, he was transferred to Karaj Central Prison. He was released three days later on bail set at 200 million tomans.

Azhdar Piri Sarmanlou, 36, is a native of Urmia and a resident of Karaj. He is the editor-in-chief of the Research of Nations monthly.

Mashallah Karami, Father of Executed Protester, Faces Prison and Multiple Charges

Mashallah Karami, the father of executed protester Mohammad Mehdi Karami, is serving his sentence in the Central Prison of Karaj. His legal cases are being reviewed in two separate proceedings: his Revolutionary Court case is under appeal at the Supreme Court, while his Criminal Court case awaits a decision from the Court of Appeals.

A source familiar with his situation told HRANA: “Recently, Mashallah was sent to a specialized clinic for treatment due to blurred vision in one of his eyes. His Revolutionary Court case, in which he was sentenced to four years and three months in prison, is currently under appeal at the Supreme Court. Additionally, his Criminal Court case, in which he was sentenced to eight years and ten months in prison, a fine of 1.9 billion tomans, and asset confiscation, is pending the final verdict from the Court of Appeals.”

Karami, the father of Mohammad Mehdi (Koumar) Karami, an executed protester, was arrested on August 22, 2023, by security forces. During his arrest, authorities confiscated all electronic devices and froze the family’s bank accounts.
On October 28, 2023, he was transferred from The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility to the Central Prison of Karaj. After three months in quarantine, he was moved to Ward 15 of the prison.

Initially, on May 21, 2024, the Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced Karami to five years in prison for “assembly and collusion against national security” and one year for “propaganda against the regime.” However, in September, the Alborz Province Court of Appeals reduced these sentences to three years and seven months for the first charge and eight months for the second.

In a separate case, in August 2024, the Criminal Court Branch 102 in Nazarabad convicted Karami of “money laundering and acquiring illicit wealth,” sentencing him to eight years and ten months in prison, a fine of 1.9 billion tomans, and confiscation of his assets.

Karami’s attorney, Ali Sharifzadeh, previously stated that the security-related charges against his client did not align with his actions. He explained: “Mr. Karami only distributed free meals, funded through public donations. This information was presented to the court but was not properly considered. Additionally, my client’s assets have no connection to the security charges leveled against him.”

In September, 2024, five citizens were fined by the Alborz Province Court of Appeals for providing financial assistance to Mashallah Karami. These individuals were previously convicted by the Karaj Revolutionary Court of “aiding in assembly and collusion against national security” through financial support to Karami, with each sentenced to two years in prison and fined 24 million tomans.

It is noteworthy that on January 7, 2023, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, one of the detainees from the nationwide protests, was executed in connection with the case known as the “murder of Basij member Ruhollah Ajamian.”

Two Prisoners Executed in the Central Prison of Karaj

At dawn on Monday, November 11, two prisoners previously sentenced to death on drug-related charges were executed in the Central Prison of Karaj.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, the identities of the executed prisoners have been confirmed as “Hamzeh Jahanian” and “Javad Dolabi.”

HRANA’s investigation reveals that these prisoners were arrested in Safadasht, Karaj, on charges related to drug offenses and later sentenced to death by judicial authorities. On November 7, they were transferred, along with two others, to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions.

As of the time of this report, the executions have not been officially announced by prison authorities or relevant institutions.

The reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists for the year 2023 reveal a concerning prevalence of executions for drug offenses in Iran, constituting 56.4% of the total executions. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Now is definitely not the time to stop reading!

Two Prisoners Executed in Central Prison of Karaj

On September 19, two prisoners sentenced to death on charges of drug-related offenses and murder were executed in the Central Prison of Karaj.

HRANA has confirmed the identities of the prisoners as Akbar Azizi and Hamed Jahedi, who had been convicted in a joint case involving both drug crimes and murder.

Prior to the execution, HRANA reported that the two prisoners had been transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for the carrying out of their death sentences.

At the time of this report, prison officials and relevant authorities have yet to officially announce the executions.

Singer Behrad Ali Kanari Sent to Prison to Serve His Sentence

Behrad Ali Kanari, arrested during the nationwide protests of 2022, has been jailed in Qom Prison.on Saturday, August 24, 2024, to start serving a six-month prison term.

In a video message, Mr. Ali Kanari announced that he was recently sentenced to six months in prison by the judiciary on charges of “propaganda against the regime through cooperation with anti-regime media.” On Saturday, August 24, 2024, he was sent to Qom Prison to serve his sentence.
Kanari was arrested by security forces on May 13 of this year and was released shortly afterward on bail.
Behrad Ali Kanari, a singer, was among those arrested during the 2022 nationwide protests in the case known as the “murder of Basij member Ruhollah Ajamian.” He was released from the Central Prison of Karaj in April of 2023, following the issuance of a “pardon” directive.

Execution of Three Inmates for Drug Offenses in Karaj

On January 29, 2024, authorities at the Central Prison of Karaj executed three individuals convicted of drug-related crimes.

HRANA has identified two of them as Ajamian and Jafari (first names unknown). These inmates had previously received death sentences for drug offenses. HRANA had reported their relocation to solitary confinement the day before.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing. The lack of official information raises concerns about transparency and accountability in the execution process.

The reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists for the year 2023 reveal a concerning prevalence of executions for drug offenses in Iran, constituting 56.4% of the total executions. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

Execution of at Least 11 Prisoners in Karaj Raises Concerns

On January 14, 2024, the Central Prison of Karaj executed at least 11 death-row convicts, with five of them sentenced for drug-related offenses.

According to HRANA, individuals named Akbar Taj, Hoajjat Miri, Hamed Nazari, Ahmad Latifi, and Mohammad Ali (last name unknown) were among those hanged. HRANA is actively working to identify the remaining individuals.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing. In 2023, 66% of HRANA’s reports on executions lacked official announcements by judicial authorities and went unreported by media inside Iran, highlighting a troubling lack of transparency in due process.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered the execution of  746 individuals. Out of these, 6 were carried out in public. Among the executed individuals whose genders were identified, 597 were male and 20 were female. Additionally, 2 juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes, were also executed. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s annual report.

 

Four Inmates Executed in Karaj Following Drug Convictions

On December 12, 2023, the Central Prison of Karaj carried out the execution of four individuals who had been convicted of drug-related offenses, employing hanging as the method of execution.

HRANA has identified two of the executed individuals as Amin Zakeri and Khalil (last name unknown). HRANA is actively engaged in the process of identifying the remaining two inmates. HRANA is working on identifying the remaining two inmates.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing. The lack of official information raises concerns about transparency and accountability in the execution process.

According to data compiled by the Center of Statistics of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), between October 10, 2022, and October 8, 2023, a total of 659 individuals were executed by hanging in Iran, representing a 24% increase compared to the corresponding period in the previous year. Seven of these executions were conducted publicly. Concerningly, many of the defendants were denied access to a fair trial and due process. For details and statistics, read HRANA’s report.